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JOHN H. MARTIN, OF CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK.

ERCEPA We Drawer.

In the preparation of fur hair or fur (as it may be designated for brevity) for felting and for the shrinking which must precede the felting, particularly in the manu- 5 facture of hats, the fur, either on the skin or after its removal from the skin, is subjected to the action of chemicals which so afiect the character of the fur as to promote the felting and the shrinking, the

10 chemicalemployed, generally in solution, being sometimes brushed into the fur on the skin, the fur being subsequently removed from. the skin, and being sometimes used as a bath in which the fur is immersed after removal from the skin. After treatment with the chemical the fur is dried and is thereafter subjected to shrinking and felting and dyein processes, to which the treatment with c emicals is preliminary. So far as the fur itself is concerned, as to its shrinking and felting qualities, nitrate of mercury has been found to give satisfactory results but its use is harmful in a high degree to those who apply it and to those who handle the fur in subsequent processes. Other chemicals, such as sodium peroxide, for example, have also been proposed, but are less satisfactory so far as the shrinking qualities of the fur are concerned, and, 1n the ageing of the fur, which has generally been considered necessary, have a more or less deleterious effect, particularly in bringing about a progressive weakemng of the hair core.

In the development of the present inven- TIOIN' 01E FUR FOR SHRINKING AND FELTING.

Application filed March 3, 1925. Serial No. 13,004.

tion it has been found that the desired results can be better obtained, in less time than with any of the chemicals heretofore employed, without deleterious efiect on the texture of the fur and without harmful reto sults to operatives, by treatment of the fur, either on the skin, by brushing, or, by immersion, after its removal from the skin, with a solution of an ortho borate of an alkali metal, such, for example, as sodium ortho borate. It has been found that fur treated with an ortho borate of an alkali metal has the proper felting quality and can be shrunk to a higher degree and more rapidly than can fur which has been treated with nitrate of mercury.

It will be understood that the mention herein of sodium ortho borate is by way of example and illustration only, and that ortho borates of other alkali metals may be used in its place.

I claim as my invention:

1. The improvement in the art of preparing fur for shrinking and felting which consists in subjecting the fur to the action of a solution of an ortho borate of an alkali metal.

2. The improvement in the art of preparing fur for shrinking and felting which consists in subjecting the fur to the action of a solution of sodium ortho borate.

This specification signed this 25th day of February, A. D; 1925.

JOHN H. MARTIN. 

